I quit! Maksim Chmerkovskiy leaves Dancing With The Stars after seven years to pursue acting career

Bad Boy Of Ballroom: Maksim Chmerkovskiy has quit Dancing With The Stars

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has quit Dancing With The Stars.

The Latin ballroom dancing champion and choreographer, 33, joined the show during its second season in 2006. His celebrity dance partners have included Kirstie Alley, Laila Ali and Mel B.

The Bad Boy Of Ballroom - a nickname given to the star for his fiery personality and loud mouth - wants to pursue acting.

His public resignation came as ABC announced the new season line-up of contestants, which will include Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills castmember Lisa Vanderpump, country legend Wynonna Judd and American Idol runner up Kellie Pickler.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Maksim confirmed speculation he would be hanging up his dancing shoes, telling Life&Style: 'I just want to set the record straight to all of my amazing fans that I will unfortunately not be returning for this season of Dancing With the Stars.

'I’ve been a pro dancer on the show
for about seven years now and am eager to explore other opportunities
that have been made possible because of Dancing With the Stars. I'm
going to take this time to dive into producing and acting, while
fulfilling my sponsorship obligations.'

"A big thank you to all of my fans
for your never-ending support," he continues. "I also want to thank the
entire cast and production of Dancing with the Stars.'

A spokesperson for ABC said: 'We
frequently rotate the professional dancers, so it is not unusual for
them to rest a cycle. As we consider who will be matched up each season,
there are a lot of factors that dictate which couples make the best
pairings.

'We appreciate each of our dancers
dedication to the show, so this is a very difficult decision. Anna,
Chelsie, Maks and Louis continue to be a part of the Dancing With the
Stars family.'

He knows what he's doing: The 33-year-old, pictured here with partner Denise Richards, is a Latin ballroom dancing champion and choreographer

Maksim is likely hoping to emulate
his ex-colleague Julianne, who has managed to carve out a successful
acting career for herself in films like Rock of Ages and the new romance
flick Safe Haven.

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He
has appeared on the Ukrainian version of The Bachelor and is said to
have landed the lead role of a dancer in a romantic comedy that begins
shooting this year.

'I
never thought I was ready [for movie acting]. Then I had a whole day of
reading with the director and casting director, and I enjoyed it so
much,' Maksim told the New York Post recently. 'I caught the bug, as they say.
This is something I really want to do.'

Change of direction: The dancer pursuing an acting career in film and television

FROM REALITY STARS TO COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS... THE CAST IS REVEALED

Ready for her close up! Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills castmember Lisa Vanderpump will dance with new professional Gleb Savchenko

Swapping his gloves for tap shoes: Boxer Victor Ortiz will dance with new pro Lindsay Arnold

ABOUT: A mother-of-two, it is as a star on the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills that Lisa is best known.

The
popular 52-year-old now has her own breakout show, Vanderpump Rules
about the successful Beverly Hills restaurant which she runs with her
husband Ken Todd.

Also a published author Lisa is a contributor to Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine.

She moved to the U.S. from her native England eight years ago.

STAR: Boxer Victor Ortiz

PROFESSIONAL: Lindsay Arnold

ABOUT: According to AMC: 'Victor Ortiz is a living, breathing example of the American dream.'

The young Ortiz had a difficult start in a broken home.

The son of Mexican immigrants, his mother abandoned her four children when he was aged just seven.

His father later turned to drink, driving Ortiz to find interests outside the home, and leading him to the boxing ring.

Now 26 he is a former Welterweight Boxing Champion. Ortiz has the nickname 'Vicious'

STAR: Country legend Wynonna Judd

PROFESSIONAL: Tony Dovolani

ABOUT: With five Grammys to her name, 20 number one hits and 30million records sold, Wynonna Judd is no newcomer.

Wynonna started out with her mother in family duo The Judds, before finding success as a solo artist.

She is also a New York Times bestselling author.

Conveniently for the 48-year-old her spell on DWTS coincides with the release of her eighth studio album later this year.

She
will collaborate on the record with her husband, Michael 'Cactus'
Moser, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident last year.

No laughing business: Comedian Andy Dick will dance with former troupe member Sharna Burgess

STAR: Comedian Andy Dick

PROFESSIONAL: Sharna Burgess

ABOUT:
This is not the first reality show for controversial comedian Andy
Dick, who in 2009 appeared on Sober House with Dr Drew to talk about his
drinking problems.

After
getting his TV start on the short-lived Ben Stiller Show, Dick was a
mainstay on network television from 1995-2006 on NBC's NewsRadio and
ABC’s Less Than Perfect.

In 2001, the 47-year-old found wider fame when he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in The Andy Dick Show for MTV.

He
is known for his bizarre behaviour which includes an instance of
exposing his genitals onstage, and was once thrown off the Jimmy Kimmel
show for pestering Ivanka Trump.

The American father-of-one is openly bisexual.

She's a star: American Idol runner up Kellie Pickler will dance with Derek Hough

STAR: American Idol runner up Kellie Pickler

PROFESSIONAL: Derek Hough

ABOUT: Aged just 19, then-waitress Kellie found fame as a contestant on American Idol, on which she came sixth.

It
was a fairytale come true for Pickler, who came from a troubled home.
After being abandoned by her mother aged two her father was then in and
out of jail throughout her childhood. Pickler's grandparents won custody
and raised her from the age of 12.

Now 26, Pickler has been happily married for two years to songwriter Kyle Jacobs.

She is pursuing a career as a country singer, with three solo albums to her name.

Pickler
is also a committed philanthropist, and most recently shaved her head
during an appearance on Good Morning America to support her close friend
Summer Miller, who has breast cancer.

ABOUT:
As a professional American football player for the 2013 Super Bowl
Champions the Baltimore Ravens, Jacoby Jones has already had a taste of
success this year.

Jones began his career as a college player before going professional in 2009.

His career highlights include matching an NFL record with a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Jones
is also the first Raven to post multiple kickoff returns for a
touchdown in one season and is the current record holder for the longest
touchdown at the Super Bowl.

The 28-year-old was recently featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and loves to jetski.

Quick on her feet: Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is paired with Mark Ballas

STAR: Aly Raisman

PROFESSIONAL: Mark Ballas

ABOUT: She won three medals, including two golds, as the Captain of the US gymnastics team at last summer's London Olympics.

Now Aly Raisman is ready for her next challenge.

And the 18-year-old is sure to find even greater recognition with her role on the show.

Since
returning from London, she has been named Bostonian of the Year by The
Boston Globe, was a presenter at the Video Music Awards, appeared on
Fashion Police and most recently won an award at the Cartoon Network
Hall of Game Awards.

His big moment: Comedian D.L Hughley will dance with Cheryl Burke

STAR: DL Hughley

PROFESSIONAL: Cheryl Burke

ABOUT: As one of the biggest names on the stand-up circuit, DL makes frequent TV appearances.

He is an occasional host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, a CNN contributor and has worked on the Jay Leno Show.

But
DL is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The
Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee
film The Original Kings of Comedy.

He is married to his wife LaDonna, with whom he has three children.

His son Kyle has Aspergers Syndrome.

Dusting off her dancing shoes: Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill will join Tristan MacManus on the show

STAR: Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill

PROFESSIONAL: Tristan MacManus

ABOUT:
Dorothy Hamill won the Gold Medal, and the nation's attention, at the
1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria at the age of 19.

But it is her status as a former world champion that Hamill is most proud.

Since her 70s highpoint she has continued to skate, starring on Ice Capades for eight years.

She has produced and starred in her own touring productions, winning an Emmy for her lead role in Romeo and Juliet.

Now 56, Hamill recently released her memoir A Skating Life: My Story, which made The New York Times best-seller list.

Three times married and twice divorced, she has one daughter.

Ready to dance: Inigo Rademacher will dance with Kym Johnson

STAR: Ingo Rademacher

PROFESSIONAL: Kym Johnson

ABOUT:
Ingo Rademacher is best known as the charismatic Jasper 'Jax' Jacks on
ABC’s General Hospital which he has played since the show first aired17
years ago.

Offsreen Ingo has competed at a high level in beach volleyball and triathlon.

He
took the pole position in the 2005 Long Beach Grand Prix and he
recently completed the grueling 32-mile Molokai to Oahu Channel Of Bones
stand-up paddle board race As a youth he was a ski champion and competitive equestrian.